“HEARD” features the first-hand accounts of current and former residents of Richmond, Virginia public housing projects.
The film captures the inspiring stories of five people who grew up in “the projects,” surviving and thriving in spite of, and often because of the challenges they’ve had to overcome. Now they’re giving back to their home communities, trying to make a better life for those who come behind.
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Gilpin Court. Richmond, Va.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Cotina Brake talks about spending most of her life as a resident of the projects, and then taking advantage of self-sufficiency programs to improve her credit and purchase a home.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Gwendolyn Harris walks around Creighton Court, her home and one of the largest public housing communities in Richmond, Va., and talks about her hope for the future.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Two children play on the front porch of one of the apartments in Fairfield Court, one of the “big six” public housing communities in Richmond, Va.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Monte Cosby, a member of the Richmond Cycling Corps (RCC) cycling team, rides with his teammates in Richmond, Va.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Monte Cosby (left) and Tavon Watson display their diplomas during the high school graduation ceremony at Legacy Academy. Richmond, Va.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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T. J. Thompson and his seven-year-old daughter Tori enjoy a laugh in the kitchen of their apartment in Gilpin Court, one of Richmond, Va.’s public housing communities.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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T. J. Thompson and his seven-year-old daughter Tori visit the James River in Richmond, Va. often. As residents in one of Richmond’s public housing communities, visits to the river give them a vision of what life can be outside the projects.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Richmond, Va. radio personality Clovia Lawrence talks about how she met Von Johnson when she did her radio program from the Richmond city jail, where Johnson was an inmate at the time.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Sandee Smith is a community advocate with the City of Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building. She talks about the importance of listening to the stories of residents of public housing.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Von Johnson talks with participants in the Broken Men Foundation Youth Academy. He says he wants to give them the benefits of guidance he didn’t receive as a young man growing up in public housing communities.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
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Coco Cosby sits on her front porch and talks about the stuggles of raising three children in one of Richmond Va.’s public housing communities.
Courtesy of Belltower Pictures
“The stories we usually hear about residents of America’s urban housing communities are about violence, death, gangs and drugs. To most Americans, public housing and urban poverty are ‘issues’ that remain out of sight and out of mind.” said Producer David Powers. “But there’s much more to the story.”
“Through the compelling stories of its subjects, 'HEARD' brings an important perspective to the conversation around housing. We hope this film allows the audience to go deeper, beyond the often-repeated narratives about public housing, to see our neighbors as individuals and learn what’s important to them,” said Executive Producer Mason Mills.
Credits:
Presented by VPM, Virginia’s home for public media. Produced by Belltower Pictures. Directed and edited by Emmy Award-winner Martin Montgomery. David Powers is the producer. Angelia Kinard Kane is the associate producer. Executive producers are Steve Humble and Mason Mills of VPM.
